


Sometimes it Takes a Spark, Others a Fire

by countrygirlsfun



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: BAMF Stiles, Cliche, Derek Saves Stiles, Fire, Fluff, Happy, Hurt Stiles, M/M, Stiles Saves The Day, The Princess Bride References, why not?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-25
Updated: 2014-03-25
Packaged: 2018-01-16 22:51:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1364668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/countrygirlsfun/pseuds/countrygirlsfun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scott's been trying to convince Stiles and Derek to talk to each other about their mutual feelings. </p><p>They are choosing to ignore him until Stiles ends up trapped in a burning building and Derek is the one to save him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sometimes it Takes a Spark, Others a Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Some day I will write something sad. Today is not that day.

Stiles, having just finished having lunch with Scott, was walking home. Scott had spent a better part of the meal trying to convince Stiles that Derek felt the same way about him as Stiles felt about Derek. But Stiles still couldn’t bring himself to believe it or even hope for it. He’d resigned himself to yet another unrequited crush that would end eventually and nothing would change in their friendship.  
He couldn’t bring himself to hope, because with hope comes a let-down. And the let-down is almost invariably more painful than just living with the idea that it could never happen.

Stiles had grown tired of the conversation and shut down until Scott changed the subject. But as he walked home he struggled to keep himself from replaying Scott’s reasons through his mind, against his will hope started to bloom. He resolved his thoughts by telling himself he’d talk to Derek at the pack meeting tonight. Or maybe tomorrow. Or maybe never. He'd pick one, really he would.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he smelled something burning. He looked around and followed the smell and the smoke rising against the clear sky until he was walking towards the edge of town where a small community center sat. As he rounded the last corner he saw the small building almost completely engulfed in flames. He ran towards it seeing a girl not much younger than him surrounded by a group of little kids. He ran up to the girl to see what was going on, apparently the first to do so as there was no one else around.

“Hey, hey, you ok? How did this happen?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know!”

The girl was clearly on the verge of panic herself as she tried to keep the kids grouped together and calm. Stiles needed to get them both to calm the hell down before he could get anywhere.

“Hey, it’s ok, take a deep breath. What’s your name?”

“Anna, my name is Anna.”

“Anna my name is Stiles.”

Stiles took in the small group. He remembered going to the community center in the summer growing up. They would have crafts or projects or they would meet there and go off into the woods on nature walks. This group looked like the same type of thing. The kids couldn’t have been older than seven.

“Did everybody get out?”

“I think so…”

“You think or you know? How many kids are in the class today Anna?”

“Twelve, there should be twelve.”

Stiles quickly counted the group. There were only eleven.

“Laura.”

“What?”

“We’re missing Laura.”

Stiles’ gut twisted at the name alone. But he didn’t hesitate before he was running towards the building. He shouted over his shoulder.

“Get them all back further!”

He ran into the building. The fire, he found, was on the building itself and hadn’t spread to the interior of the open floor plan. He ran past tables loaded down with crafts and projects and past the small area constructed for naps. He paused, doubled back and grabbed a quilt off the pile and ran towards the kitchen. It was the only other room besides the bathrooms in the whole building. He didn’t see anybody in there and was about to run over to the bathrooms before he remembered the pantry.

One day when he’d been here he had felt a panic attack coming and had stumbled into the pantry and closed himself into the darkness of the little room to calm himself down. His dad had found him later when the teachers were at a loss to where he'd been.

He strode across the kitchen and slowly opened the door. Sure enough he found himself looking down at a terrified little girl. She sat eyes as wide as they could go, clutching her stuffed bunny for dear life. Stiles sighed in relief before he approached her.

“Laura?”

The girl nodded.

“Laura, I’m Stiles, I’m going to get you out of here okay?”

The girl nodded again and took his outstretched hand. He pulled her up and wrapped the blanket around her. He clutched the little girl to his chest as he ran back across the open room and watched in horror as the rafters by the door collapsed. He continued to run, yelling for the teacher.

“ANNA! Anna, come to the door!”

Two seconds later the girl was there on the other side of the burning debris. There was just enough space that Stiles could probably pass the little girl through the flames to get her to safety.

“I’m going to toss her to you through the opening ok? You have to be ready to catch her.”

“I’m ready.”

“You’re going to be ok Laura.”

Stiles didn’t so much toss her as hand her over to the teacher allowing the flames to lick at his arms. He pulled his arms back quickly when the weight of the little girl left them.

“You got her? Is she ok?”

“She’s fine. What about you? How are you going to get out?!”

“I don’t know. I don’t know. Call 911 if you haven’t already.”

With that Stiles backed up towards the center of the room, away from the flames as much as possible. His arms were barely singed, at least his shitty luck held out that much. He ran his fingers through his hair, when he’d been in the kitchen he’d seen the door in there was already blocked by flames; it was the only other way out. His panic was starting to tighten in his chest. It was already hard to breathe with the smoke; he started coughing before the panic attack could take hold.

He thought quickly that maybe the teacher didn’t have a phone. He pulled his own out to call his dad or dispatch he didn’t know. The heat and the soot and smoke made it hard to see; his eyes were watering and his vision was blurring. _Don’t fail me now Siri._ He put the phone to his ear and barely heard the familiar tone of the voice software starting.

“Call Di—“

The end of Dispatch got cut off by his coughs and he missed it when the phone replied, “Calling Derek.”

When he put the phone back to his ear he didn’t care who he was calling he was just glad to hear the ringing.

“What?”

“Help.” It was all he could manage before he coughed.

“Stiles? Are you ok?” _  
_

Who did Stiles call?

“Fire, at the community center, trapped.”

He coughed again, the smoke and ash and _fucking heat_ making it harder to breath. _Damn, this isn’t going to end well is it._ The voice was talking again, but the noise of the fire made it hard to hear.

“Stiles? Stiles can you hear me?”

“Yeah, yeah I can-“

Stiles felt something hit him as it fell from the ceiling.

_Well, so much for talking to Derek tonight._

_My dad’s going to kill me._

Derek was at the grocery store deciding how much chicken he should buy. The pack was coming over and he was actually going to cook for them all. He was getting sick of take out. Secretly he was hoping Stiles would help him with the cooking. It might give him a chance to talk to him. Scott claimed that Stiles liked him back but Derek still wasn’t quite ready to believe Scott's word on it. Maybe he’d text Stiles and ask for him to help him cook before the pack got there.

Yeah, some time just the two of them. As if that didn’t already happen enough with Derek crawling through the window at all hours on weaker and weaker pretenses. And Stiles just being in the loft every other day after school to do homework because it was quieter there. Because the Sheriff’s empty house wasn’t quiet.

Yeah, he’d definitely be talking to Stiles tonight. Or maybe tomorrow. Ugh, this shouldn’t be so difficult. He felt so juvenile.

Derek reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to text Stiles when the screen lit up with his name.

Speak of the Devil.

“What?”

A strangled sounding ‘help’ came over the line before Derek heard coughing. He tightened the grip on his phone.

“Stiles? Are you ok?”

All Derek could hear was “Fire, at the community center, trapped inside” then more coughing.

“Stiles, Stiles can you hear me?”

“Yeah, yeah I can—“

With a crash the call cut out.

“Stiles!”

Derek was all but yelling in the middle of the grocery store now. He left his cart where it was and ran out of the building. Once he got outside the pungent smell of the fire hit his nose. Not stopping for his car, the center was only three blocks away. He ran at full speed not caring who saw him. Panic was building in his chest.

When he saw the building engulfed in flames ahead of him his mind swam. Old memories crashed with new panic. He couldn’t help but see his house burning, hear the cries of his trapped family, feel the loss of each pack member one by one.

He shook his head to bring himself back the present. Stiles was in there. He had to be ok, Derek needed him to be ok. He took in the small group of kids at the far end of the center and heard the sirens of the coming fire trucks.

_Never fast enough._

Derek ran for the door on the side of the building that faced the forest; where no one would see him wolf out on the door and debris he knew would be on the other side. Normal fire would burn him, yes, but he’d heal. Burns healed far faster than broken pack bonds.

He kicked in the door and sure enough had to clear away burning debris to get a path into the kitchen. His hands were burnt but he made quick work of clearing a path and by the time he was in the big room his hands were healing. He saw Stiles laying in the middle of the floor with a gash across his face with a piece of the ceiling tile burning next to him. Derek didn’t waste any time and grabbed him and ran him back outside into the fresh air.

Stiles, meanwhile had been drifting in and out of consciousness. Never really aware of anything beyond the fact that he was, indeed, still in a fucking burning building and he didn’t know who he called but he was fairly certain it wasn’t his dad. And whoever it was wasn’t there yet. He drifted out again. The next thing he knew he felt the pressure of the ground lift and was replaced with the feeling of strong arms carrying him. He almost shivered as he was carried from the heat of the building to the cool air outside. Then he was laying on something, grass maybe, and somebody was yelling at him.

As soon as Derek had him out of the fire he’d sat them down in the soft grass. He pressed his ear to Stiles chest listening for the familiar heartbeat. Once he found it he started trying to wake him up.

“Come on Stiles, you got to wake up. Stiles. Stiles please wake up.”

Slowly Stiles became more aware of where he was. He was still in the person’s arms. They were shaking him softly and quietly pleading for him to wake up. It took him awhile to realize it was Derek; he’d never heard that voice come from Derek before. He sounded so fucking scared. It took him another minute longer to try and move anything. He tried opening his eyes and lifting his arm but failed.

Derek couldn’t stop begging for Stiles to wake up. Then Stiles' hand shifted and he groaned softly.

“Stiles?! Stiles open your eyes please.”

Derek watched as Stiles brown eyes slowly opened and he couldn’t hold back his smile even if he tried. He sighed in relief mostly due to Stiles being conscious again but also because the paramedics had arrived. They had started to check on the kids at the other end of the building.

“-erek?”

Stiles voice sounded like he swallowed pieces glass but he was alive. Derek had him pulled across his lap and he just couldn't stop himself from pressing his lips gently against Stiles chapped ones. He pulled back, already apologizing.

"I'm sorry I just-"

The corner of Stiles mouth quirked up before he mumbled, "s'ok."

Then Stiles just reached an arm up trying for a hug and Derek shifted him so Stiles was pressed against his chest and wrapped his arms around him. Stiles breaths hitched as he tried to choke back tears, but really he’d just been rescued from a burning building I think a few tears are allowed goddammit. He tried to choke out a thank you but just started coughing again. Pain radiated through his body. His lungs hurt, his throat hurt, his eyes itched and maybe there were some burns somewhere too he couldn’t really focus.

Derek held him running a hand up and down his back trying to calm him down.

“It’s okay, Stiles, you’re okay.”

After a minute or two his breathing evened out as he got a hold of himself; feeling like he could talk without breaking down or coughing up a lung. He pulled back from the hug slightly. Derek probably want's his personal space back.

“Are you okay?”

“Am I- You were- how can you- _oh my god_. Yes, I’m fine. You’re alive.”

“Oh come on,” Stiles croaked and looked at him with his eyebrows raised expectantly.

“What?”

“Finish the quote, you laid it out perfectly.”

Derek was exasperated, confounded, disbelieving, utterly bewildered. You find an adjective that can accurately describe the response to a person going from being minutes away from dying of asphyxia in a fire to quoting movies minutes later and it applies to Derek. Stiles just looked on at Derek’s incredulous expression and waited, smiling.

“Are you-no- _seriously_ \- You’re alive, if you want I could fly.”

“Wasn’t that hard, Buttercup.”

Derek groaned and ran a hand down his face while Stiles tried to laugh before he started coughing again. He shouldn’t have expected anything else from Stiles though, really.

“That’s it. Stop talking. We’re going over to the paramedics now.”

Derek picked him up again and walked him over to the ambulance. The EMT’s freaked initially when they saw Stiles but since he really was pretty ok they calmed down. They just sat Stiles down and gave him some water and an oxygen mask right away and began searching for burns or lacerations to treat. Mostly he was just dirty and had a decent amount of smoke inhalation. The gash on his face was minor. The debris had been enough to knock him out but not actually do any damage; a glancing blow. After a minute though, Stiles mind came back to him fully. He motioned for Derek to come back over from where he’d drifted back to give the paramedics space. Stiles had to take the oxygen mask off to talk.

“Derek, how did you-“

“You called me.”

“I did? I thought I’d called dispatch…oh shit. Derek, my dad.”

“I’ll find him, don’t worry.”

Stiles nodded and put the oxygen mask back on and leaned back to take a few deep breaths. Derek strode over to the police car he'd seen arrive shortly after the fire trucks. Sure enough the Sheriff stood there completely unaware that his son had been in the building. He was speaking with a fire fighter when he noticed Derek. At this point Derek was infinitely appreciative of the fact that the sheriff was in the know and knew about him and Stiles new found...friendship.

"Derek? What are you doing here?"

"Stiles -"

"WHAT? Is he in there?!"

"No, no sheriff calm down he's ok. He WAS in there but I got him out before the fire fighters got here."

"Why was he in there in the first place? Where is he?"

"He's fine, but he's over in the ambulance."

The sheriff took off towards where the ambulance sat.

"Why was he in there in the first place?!"

"I don't know, sir."

"How did you-"

"He tried calling you and got me instead, I think."

They were in front of Stiles now, waiting for the paramedics to finish listening to his lungs before he was batting them away to get to his dad. The group around them gave the father and son a minute of privacy to hug.

"I'm okay dad."

The sheriff pulled back and sat Stiles back in the ambulance.

"Why were you in there anyway, Stiles. I thought you were having lunch with Scott?"

"I was walking back from lunch when I smelt the fire. When I got here the teacher had the kids out of the building but then she said she was missing one."

Stiles had to take a second to breath in the oxygen mask before he continued. When he looked up again all the paramedics were listening to his story behind his dad and Derek.

"She said she was missing a little girl named Laura."

Derek flinched involuntarily at the name.

"I told the teacher to get the kids further away from the building and ran in to find her. She wasn't in the big room or the kitchen but then I remembered the-"

"The pantry."

"Yeah."

The father and son exchanged a brief knowing look while Stiles took another couple breaths from the oxygen mask again. When he looked up again most of the firefighters had joined the group and were listening.

"Well, she was there so I wrapped her up in a blanket so the embers wouldn't burn her. But when I got out into the main room again the ceiling collapsed in front of the door and the kitchen door was already blocked too. I shouted for Anna and passed Laura through to her."

As if on cue, the little girl had broken away from her mom and had run over to Stiles. As she approached them the crowd parted, letting her through to where Stiles was perched. He reached down and grabbed her when she ran up with her arms outstretched. She hugged him as tightly as a six year old could for a while before her mother was there prying her out of his arms. But then he was wrapped in the mothers arms and was almost crying himself when she got out a tearful thank you before she let go. The group all watched the pair walk away giving Stiles a moment to wipe his face before turning back to hear the rest of the story. When his dad was listening again he continued.

"Then I tried calling you, dad but I couldn't see so I used Siri and it called Derek instead."

Everybody turned to Derek to finish the story. He balked at the sudden attention of every person in the group.

"I was getting groceries down the street and when I answered all I could hear him say was fire, community center and trapped before the call cut out."

"That would be when a tiny piece of ceiling tile decided to knock me out."

"So I ran over and uh, somehow got through the kitchen door and carried him out."

The group just looked at the two young men with respect and pride etched on their faces. Stiles tried to hide the blush from the attention by putting the mask back on. The firefighter the sheriff had been talking to earlier broke the silence.

"You should be very proud of your son, sheriff."

"Believe me, I am."

There were many pats on the back for Stiles and Derek both. And many 'acorn doesn't fall far from the tree' and 'he takes after his dad' to the sheriff. Stiles didn't know how much longer he could take the look his dad was giving him. It was the same look he got when his dad told him he was a hero after the lacrosse game. After the crowd dispersed Stiles took advantage of the privacy.

"What even started the fire dad?"

"Faulty wiring. It was an electrical fire."

"Well, that's less paperwork than if it was arson."

The sheriff just shook his head. Only his kid would think about it like that, because it meant the sheriff would still be in his office all night writing it all up but it wouldn't be a new case for him to solve. He sighed and scrubbed his hand down his face.

"Yeah, which means I'll be at the station tonight writing this up. Can Scott come over and check on you later?"

Before Stiles could even answer Derek did.

"Sir, if it's ok he can come...recover at my apartment. That way someone can make sure he keeps the mask on and gets something for supper."

"That ok with you, kid?"

Stiles just nodded his assent slightly, a little in shock at Derek's offer. _Maybe Scott was right._ And when Stiles didn't argue, even in the slightest Derek couldn't help but think something along the same lines.

"My car's still at the grocery store."

"I'll give you a lift on my way back to the station."

The sheriff hugged Stiles one more time.

"Love you, kid."

"Love you too dad."

The sheriff pulled back and he and Derek walked back to the cruiser leaving Stiles to listen to the paramedics explain how to use the portable oxygen tank they were having him take with him now and bring back the next day. Perks of being the sheriffs kid, right there. A few minutes later Derek was there with the Toyota and Stiles walked himself over while Derek got his own set of instructions from the paramedics.

"Make sure he uses the oxygen for the next couple hours. Get him to drink plenty of water. If he wants to nap this afternoon let him but nothing over two hours, with the head injury. It's minor so he'll be fine to sleep through the night without needing to be woken up in two hour intervals."

When the paramedic finished he walked around the car and crawled in the driver’s seat.

"Home, James."

Derek couldn’t even bring himself to scowl at the comment.

"I still need groceries. Think you can sit in here for 20 minutes so I can get enough to make supper for the pack meeting tonight?"

Stiles nodded almost asleep already.

"Can we stop and get me some clothes that don't smell like a bonfire?"

"After the groceries."

Derek drove back to the store, parked and jumped out to get what he needed. He was back 16 minutes later to find Stiles snoring softly head thrown back against the window. He chuckled as he put the bags in the back and crawled back in the driver’s seat. He stopped by Stiles house and went in and grabbed him a change of clothes. Stiles only woke up when they got back to Derek's loft another 15 minutes later. Derek carried all the groceries and the duffel bag with Stiles’ clothes and Stiles shuffled behind him with the mini oxygen tank.

"Thanks for the clothes."

Derek nodded and opened the loft door letting Stiles walk through first.

"You want to shower?"

"Yeah." Stiles answered before mumbling, "Then you, no need to wallow in a memory inducing stench."

The kid was just about killed in a fire but he's worried about Derek. He could just shake his head in disbelief. _How can he think about stuff like that?_

Stiles took his bag and padded off to the bathroom. Derek went to put away the food keeping an ear trained on the bathroom. 20 minutes later Stiles emerged smelling more like himself with a layer of Derek on top instead of smoke.

"You should wash these and your clothes so the loft doesn't start to smell."

Stiles said as he handed Derek his smoky sooty clothes. Derek nodded and went to take his own shower; the smell was starting to hurt his nose now that he didn't have anything else to distract him from it. Stiles plopped down on the couch and tried staying awake until Derek got back. He'd just closed his eyes for a minute when Derek was already back and was sitting on the other end of the couch. Stiles looked up and saw a sandwich and a big glass of water on the coffee table in front of him.

"Thanks. For lunch and for..."

"You're welcome and I'm just...I'm just really glad you're ok."

Stiles nodded as he took a bite of his sandwich. After he swallowed he mumbled, "and I'm sorry."

When Derek looked at him with confused eyebrows he sighed and elaborated.

"Sorry you had to deal with fire."

"Stiles I'm glad Siri messed up and called me. I don't want to think about what would have happened if..."

"Yeah, me neither."

Stiles finished his lunch, drank his water and settled in for a nap. He woke up a couple hours later with his legs sprawled across Derek's lap and Derek's arm resting on them. He looked over at Derek.

"This okay?"

Stiles smiled, "I was going to ask the same thing."

"Want to help me start supper? The pack will be here soon."

"Sure."

The two unfolded themselves and got up from the couch. They started cooking the meal bumping shoulders, hands brushing while they worked. They got everything ready when Derek realized he hadn't made the lemonade yet. The pitcher he was looking for was on top of the fridge and Stiles was right in front of the fridge. Without really thinking about it he asked,

"Fetch me that pitcher?"

Stiles just couldn't help but smile and mumble, "As you wish."

They stared at each other kind of frozen.

"Oh my god."

They both jumped because Scott was not there two freaking seconds ago, was he?

Stiles blushed and started inspecting the floor tiles.

"No, nuh uh. I did not spend all that time convincing you two to talk to each other for it to come out in movie quotes. You have got to be kidding me."

Derek just shrugged his shoulders and smiled when Stiles met his gaze. Isaac walked in just then and wrinkled his nose.

"Uh guys? Why does it smell like something's burning? And what's with the oxygen tank over here?"

Derek chuckled and went back to putting the finishing touches on the food while Stiles went back to the couch promising to explain once everybody got there. After everybody was there, had their plates full of food, and were all settled in the living room Stiles and Derek told them the whole, well, most of the story of their afternoon. Later when the meeting and the dishes were done they settled in to watch a movie.

Scott just rolled his eyes when Stiles put in the Princess Bride but couldn't hold back a smile when Stiles and Derek ended up curled together 5 minutes into the movie.

**Author's Note:**

> So fluffy and happy and cheesy and I just can't take the pain of the show so this is how I deal. Sue me.


End file.
